Slideshow

Friday, January 27, 2017

Shrimp is always a favorite of mine. It cooks up in minutes and lends itself to garlicky interpretations, with added notes of dill or basil or lemon. In the Instant Pot, it is a cinch to prepare and takes only 4-5 minutes for a stunning and delectable meal.

Use the largest shrimp you can find. Here, I used Argentina Reds. For more flavor, you can leave the shells on. I chose not to.

1 pound frozen shrimp

1, five-ounce packet Mahatma Saffron Yellow Rice

Long grain white rice, not instant

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 tablespoons minced red onion

1/4 teaspoon hot paprika or hot smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

1, 10.5 ounce chicken broth

Water

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Juice from 1/2 lemon

Add yellow rice to a measuring cup then add white, long-grain rice until you have a total of 1 1/4 cup. Add to pressure cooker along with fresh and dry seasonings. Mix.

Add chicken broth to measuring cup. Add enough water until you have a total of 1 1/2 cups.

Dot with butter.

Layer frozen shrimp on top.

Secure lid to pressure cooker. Move vent to sealing position. Cook on high 4-5 minutes. Allow to sit around 2 minutes than release pressure manually. Shrimp will be noticeably smaller, so don't be alarmed.

Remove shrimp to a plate. Add 1/2 cup grated Parmesan to the rice mixture. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt if necessary (I added several pinches pink Himalayan salt). Plate rice with shrimp on the side or on top. Serve with additional lemon wedges.

Thursday, January 26, 2017

The sauce/gravy is amazing! Sweet from the cola, yet piquant from the chili sauce.

Late last autumn, I purchased an Instant Pot pressure cooker.

Why?

Well, since I returned to working full-time about a year ago, (as opposed to part-time retirement) I just don't have that much time to cook or to blog recipes when I do. I figured the pressure cooker would solve that problem. And, on many levels, it has. As an example, this roast that would normally take 6-8 hours in a slow cooker only takes 45 minutes in the pressure cooker. And it tastes better. Yes, you heard me correctly, only 45 minutes. For fall-off-the-bone spare ribs, 20 minutes!

Today's electric pressure cookers are not at all like those from forty or fifty years ago. I still remember my mom hefting this massive metal bomb from the bottom cabinet. It hissed and spewed out steam like an old locomotive. Electric pressure cookers rarely shoot out geysers of steam, if any. Instead, they bring the recipe up to "pressure," and keep it electronically monitored so there is no steam during the cooking process until you "vent" the finished product. That's it. No bomb! And great for the summer!

Most electric pressure cookers are equipped with diverse settings. The Instant Pot, for example, serves as a steamer, slow cooker, rice cooker. It can saute. It also has settings particular to specific recipes such as soups, stews and beans. The more expensive models even serve as a sous-vide!

But, what no pressure cooker can do is brown and sizzle. Pressure cookers are best for recipes that require lots of moisture which is needed to build up the pressure. You can saute/brown chicken breasts before adding to the pressure cooker, but the skin will will still end up rubbery, not crisp. Some people remove the product to crisp under a broiler. To me, that just defeats the concept of a time-saving pressure cooker. But, what you can do .... invest in a mini blow torch specifically made for the kitchen. Brilliant.

Cooking under pressure reduces cooking time. What else does cooking under pressure accomplish? It intensifies flavor! Consequently, use less spices and aromatics. Especially salt and pepper.

Do not slice and dice your veggies. Leave in chunks, otherwise they will just melt under pressure. You want them LARGE. I love cabbage. We should all love cabbage and eat more. Do not "shred" it. One-inch slices or chunks. Same with onions... Think one-inch slices.

The recipe below can be prepared in the crock pot. Just cook on slow for 6-8 hours.

Coca-Cola Pot Roast

For this recipe, use Mexican coca-cola which uses sugar, not corn syrup. It is easily found in the Hispanic section of most grocery stores. Do not sub ketchup for the chili sauce.

1, 3-pound chuck roast, trimmed if fatty

1, 12-ounce bottle Mexican coca-cola

1, 12-ounce bottle Heinz Chili Sauce

1 packet Lipton's Dry Onion Soup Mix

Garlic Powder

Lightly dust the roast with garlic powder. Pour in the coca-cola. Nestle roast in coke. Sprinkle the roast with the dry soup mix. Cover with the chili sauce.

Secure lid on pressure cooker. Place valve to sealing position. Cook on high for about 45 minutes. Allow to decompress naturally. Carefully remove lid. If you want it a bit more fall-apart tender, re-place lid and bring to pressure for another five minutes or so. When finished, remove roast to serving plate. Mix juices and pour into a bowl for serving.